The Saint Paul Almanac is a literary campfire around which the diverse Saint Paul community gathers to share their stories. An experiment in democratic publishing, the 2012 Almanac brought together a multigenerational team of 18 volunteer community editors to blind select from 400 submissions the 129 stories, poems, and recipes chosen to appear in the coming edition. Every story has a unique, individual voice which, when combined with other stories in the Saint Paul Almanac, becomes a chorus encompassing all the energy of Saint Paul today. High school students’ work appears alongside writing by grandparents, and first-time writers appear next to Saint Paul literary greats such as Garrison Keillor and Max Shulman. Want to join us for the 2013 edition? In this section

These beautiful hand drawn maps are included with the 2012 Saint Paul Almanac, available for $14.95 in bookstores or in our online store ($17.95 including S&H). The maps are available for $10 (including S&H) as a stand alone 18.75″ x 15″ sheet, printed in full color on both sides.

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The Almanac needs your support!

The Almanac needs your support!

The Saint Paul Almanac is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization created to bring the diverse Saint Paul community together and support local literacy through an experiment in democratic publishing. This mission is primarily accomplished through collaborative decision-making in publication activities, public readings, and mentorships.

Every year the Saint Paul Almanac publishes a new almanac showcasing the literary talent of Saint Paul. The current almanac includes 120 writers of all stripes: professional, emerging, and amateur. With distribution at over 55 locations, the Saint Paul Almanac is a mechanism by which a broad cross-section of Saint Paul residents has a media vehicle with wide local distribution for expressions of literature, local history, and civic engagement.

Together with publishing the annual Saint Paul Almanac book, there is a book-release celebration each year and Saint Paul Almanac author readings, Celebration through Stories, in multiple venues across the city with over 500 attendees.

We sponsor the Lowertown Reading Jam Series, where established and emerging Saint Paul authors and spoken word artists curate a themed reading and invite other writers/artists to join in the event.

We also support and mentor 21 Saint Paul residents each year as community editors. These editors reach into their personal communities to gather Saint Paul poems and stories and determine collectively what goes in the Saint Paul Almanac. They learn much about the intricacies of the publication process and are able to bring those practical publication skills to other organizations and communities they are involved with.

All writers, curators, photographers, and community editors are paid.

At the heart of the Saint Paul Almanac is the opportunity of Saint Paul residents to be published alongside such Saint Paul literary icons as Gordon Parks, Garrison Keillor, and Meridel LeSueur. This intertwining of professional writers with nonprofessional community voices, including new immigrant voices through the Minnesota Literacy Center, reflects the Saint Paul Almanac’s understanding that art and the recognition of artists is inseparable from the soul of a community.

Our important work promoting writing and reading in Saint Paul needs your support. Donations to the Saint Paul Almanac are tax-deductible for U.S. taxpayers, and will help in all areas of our work.

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Quotes from Saint Paulites

“You have to understand that life and baseball is littered with all kinds of obstacles and problems along the way. You have to learn how to overcome them to be successful in life.”